Mezquite — Restaurant in San Antonio

Mezquite gave my little family and I back our joy (and hope in the culinary scene) last night. Located in the Pullman Market, Mezquite is dedicated to the cuisine of Sonora, Mexico. There’s parking all around the Pearl and DVs park free. Its lush dining room with chandeliers cloaked in swaths of fibers that sway in the breeze is larger than life, yet somehow maintains a sense of intimacy. My eyes were as pleased with Mezquite as my stomach was. There’s something about dining in beauty that makes the experience all the more memorable. We opened the meal with a lime-forward, homemade guacamole topped with pico de gallo. It was addicting and worth every penny charged. It comes with a red chipotle, salsa verde with a bit more heat, and the most ethereal tortilla chips we’ve ever eaten. The way we spent fawning and hyping up these tortilla chips, you’d think they just paid off our mortgage. The next bite was the Elotes, a quartered corn cob topped with a masa crunch and queso fresco chamoy. And, yes, it’s every bit as good as it sounds. Granted, I’m so greedy I bit into the actual corn cob, so be mindful of that when diving in. My husband and I ordered the reposado flight which featured Wild Common, Agave de Cortes, and Carabuena. Each flight is served with palate-cleansing orange and jicama sprinkled with sal de chapulines (don’t translate that if you’re a squeamish eater). My hubby and I enjoyed playing bootleg tequileros, though I would’ve loved to hear about each tequila’s origin from an expert, but on a busy Friday night I was content with the descriptive menu the flight was served on. Our next dish was the Aguachile Verde, a vibrant, beautifully presented ceviche of red snapper, cucumber, and Serrano chilies served in a mildly spicy tomatillo sauce. I craved more acidity, however I can also acknowledge that, coming off of the guacamole, my tastebuds might have needed a reset. I also found a piece of snapper with too much connective tissue to chew through. I’d still order it again. *Chuleta Asada, with Berkshire pork (sold in market) snuggled into a salsa de queso, combined with the rice made for an exceptional bite. The crust on the pork chop and the spot-on cooked temp would score 100 on any culinary school final exam. *The Caramelos de Carnitas was served on a wheat tortilla that was flaky, it was so expertly made. The carnitas were seasoned “like their Abuela taught them how to do it,” according to my son. *Flauta de Papas came presented stunningly and were promptly dispatched by my daughter. “They were so good I forgot you wanted to do your review taste. My bad.” *Chile Rellenos. I’m Black and Puerto Rican so I acknowledge I’m not the SME when it comes to Mexican cuisine, but I’m willing to debate with any Mexican about the validity of these chiles rellenos. The exterior crust was so expertly fried that it retained its crunch until the last bite. When you cut into it, the queso Oaxaca oozed out like it was seducing me (which absolutely worked). The chile itself was just kissing spicy. I can’t recommend this dish enough. Our second round of drinks were the Paloma del Norte which had a gorgeous ginger-hibiscus syrup and the Midnight en Mexico, a mezcal old-fashioned that utilized fernet (I believe) to mimic bitters. The entire bar menu deserves a round of applause because the drinks are creative concepts in their own right. Desserts. I worked as a pastry chef for half my life so I’m a sucker for a good pastry program. The Tres Leches, with Chef Tavel’s signature salted cream, coconut, and Jamaica sauce caused quite the conundrum for my family. They wanted so badly to say it was better than mine, but know that I’m working through feelings of inadequacy in therapy. The Chocoflan isn’t the classic cake and flan dessert but an actual flan that sent my eyes rolling to the back of my head in ecstasy. The apple sorbete was topped with thick, homemade chamoy, and sprinkled with Tajín. The photo of Chef Ian and my son’s face says it all. I cannot recommend Mezquite enough. It will become a...

It really pains me to write this review because we absolutely love Mezquite, but I feel the need to share our Valentine’s Day experience in hopes that it helps management, staff, or the kitchen improve.

We’ve been here many times, including on New Year’s, and it has always been fantastic. However, Valentine’s Day was a different story—they really dropped the ball.

We made reservations after receiving an email promoting a flamenco performance and a five-course meal as part of the experience. However, when we arrived, we found that the flamenco was only inside, while all Valentine’s Day reservations were seated outdoors.

We were also surprised by the way the five-course meal was structured. For $55 per person, we expected a true five-course experience, but instead: We had to share one plate for the first course. (They wouldn’t make an exception, even though all options were seafood and my husband can’t have that.) We shared both options for the second course. (Which was essentially just refried beans and guacamole.) We shared one plate for the third course. (Caramelo—basically just half a quesadilla.) We shared one plate for the fourth course. (A small steak to split between two people.) We shared one dessert. (A single slice of Tres Leches cake.) Essentially, we were paying $18 per plate, and the portions were simply not worth that price.

On top of that, like other reviews have mentioned, our waitress was not attentive at all. We constantly had to ask for water refills, and since she wasn’t the one bringing out the meals, we have no idea what she was actually doing. At one point, we were served the wrong dish and had to send it back.

The pacing of the meal was also frustrating—we waited about 45 minutes for the first plate, then received the third course before the second. We also saw tables that arrived after us getting their courses before we did, despite ordering the same meal. When the steak finally arrived, it wasn’t cooked as we had requested, but at that point, we didn’t even bother complaining because we just wanted to leave. We ended up asking for dessert at the same time as the fourth course and requested a to-go box just to speed things up.

Having dined here before, we honestly would have been better off skipping the fixed menu and ordering à la carte—we would have received more food for the same price.

We truly love this restaurant, and I hope they take this feedback into consideration for future special events. I want to add we had participated in restaurant week at another restaurant where we truly got a five course meal and for less than $55x person. Mezquite needs...

Sunday Night Dinner It was a typical Sunday for me, rounded out by an atypical meal. Went for a 2 hour run, pushed my manual lawnmower for a few hours to get the lawn up to par, and decided to visit Mezquite for dinner. I was craving protein by way of chicken so I was somewhat excited (but mostly starving) to try their Pollo Asado. To my dismay, shortly after ordering the choriqueso, I learned that they were out of the chicken. After a big sigh, I asked for the menu again to see what could satisfy my craving. Which is unusual in itself, due to the fact that when you visit a nice restaurant, the chicken is what you order when nothing else on the menu jumps at you. But before I could glance at the other asados, the manager stopped by. "I know that you came here specifically for the chicken, SO, I will head to our butcher and grab a chicken for you". This in itself would have been the highlight of the weekend. But low and behold, the chicken arrived, along with a bowl of rice that could feed my ex-girlfriends 4 kids, a melon/citrus/radish/cucumber/onion mix, pickled in grapefruit juice, their cherry tomatoes mixed with caramelized onions, a chicken breast that didn't skip chest day at the gym, sitting on a warm sauce pool of Pipian Rojo. For the non-indigenous folk, Pipian Rojo is the subtle highlight of this dish and consists of pumpkin seeds, mashed to create a naturally creamy mole sauce. They add dried red chiles to create a nutty, savory flavor. Although I use mole to describe it, I should mention it's a little more subtle than traditional mole. Depending on who you ask, this may or may not be considered a mole sauce. But it doesn't matter, you should rub it all over your meat and don't ask any questions.

I'd read a review by a local restaurant critic recently that makes mention at how Mezquite got lost among the family of restaurants within the Pullman Market. "Mezquite got lost in there, another Mexican restaurant in a city with hundreds of them. "- Mike Sutter. I want to correct him. There are, in fact, not hundreds of Mexican restaurants here. There are a lot of Tex-Mex restaurants, but in terms of Mexican restaurants, Mezquite stands alone. There are a few true Mexican restaurants here in SA and the Sonoran influence Mezquite brings to the table will challenge your senses in the most authentic,...